This LS 2014 Elections ... will you, the voter, make a promise ?

“The AAP will make no promises to you. Instead it will ask you to make a promise. This time you will not cast your vote on the basis of kinship. You will forget caste; you will drive away the distributors of alcohol and money. AAP has not come to ask you for your vote. If there is anything we ask of you, it is to have faith in yourselves; and to listen to the voice of your soul. This election is not about the victory or defeat of political parties; it is about victory or defeat within ourselves. In front of the voting machine, we must think of the future of our children, the future of our city and our dreams for the future of our country.” Short link http://bit.ly/meera4mumbai

Thursday, 30 January 2014

Meera Sanyal at a discussion graciously hosted by Ramasubban Balakrishnan
at his residence at Cuffe Parade earlier this evening. Her knowledge
and understanding across issues and subjects was impressive and so has
been her work in rural development over the past years. Not only South
Mumbai, where she proposes to contest from if selected by AAP, will gain
from her insights and ability to work at the ground level with teams,
but the country at large will benefit from her presence in the Lok
Sabha.

Tuesday, 21 January 2014

He's been in office a little over three weeks. He's a serious kid with no political experience but a will to fight the system. He thinks out of the box and many of his actions may seem unconventional. But rather than ridicule him I for one salute this man who has balls of steel and a true vision for a better India. For once I sincerely hope the educated elite embrace the vision of the Aam aadmi as far as political governance is concerned. India needs Kejriwal to flush out everything that is wrong in the system for neither you nor I are likely to do it.

For the first time post independence the Aam aadmi has one more thing in his heart other than faith and prayer. He has a very real hope that his children may just have an opportunity to have a relatively honest government in power. How easy it is to criticize and so difficult to appreciate. We constantly ridicule the system and when some brave heart emerges we waste no time in bashing him. I prefer to play the 'wait and watch' game and embrace the Aam aadmi's thought process of hope for a better India.

If
the Delhi government is to be held accountable for the law and order
situation in Delhi and NCR, it should be provided control over the Delhi
police. Else the Delhi Govt would be rendered toothless. It is logical
that the CM should have control of the most
important means of governance. Indeed, no system is better than those
who run it. Republic Day is a good day to remember that lesson and build
strong institutions instead of destroying them. Durga Shakti has done
just that by one act of upholding the law and restoring faith in the
institution of SDM. Good cause! + wrong method? = black day. Better to be
patient, allow national support to fall in place first (LS team 400). Take care not to
loose the gains made AAP.The
CM getting soaked by unseasonal rain may not quite be the solution.
Mobs getting out of control could have adverse consequences. See http://bit.ly/policereforms Take a more constructive approach, which efforts should be accelerated.

We need to activate a collection drive for money - we will need to raise at least 50 lac through crowd sourcing.

There are approx 1500 polling booths in South Mumbai.

We will need approx 25/30 volunteers per booth not just on polling day
they need to come on board sooner rather than later because they will
form the bulk of our door to door campaign in their respective areas (1500x30=45000!!)This is 80% of the work.

Our volunteers need to establish
personal contact with the voters. This was also the main reason why AAP
did so well in Delhi. The press says that BJP also
plans to focus on door to door campaign.

A draft induction and training manual that all our
volunteers should read and understand, is under preparation.

A constituency manifesto is under preparation.

Other aspects of the campaign would be to effectively use social media,
telemarketing, leaflets, posters events and research.

Tuesday, 14 January 2014

AAP volunteers seeking guidance on the value proposition of the AAP to
be conveyed to citizens at the crossroads of their decisions read Swaraj
- by Arvind Kejriwal (click on link)

In fairness also look at http://bit.ly/rahulgandhi
However, written by someone else. Does he or the Congress follow this?
When some of the most brilliant people seeking to join politics were
told that they would have to meet Rahul, before it could happen? They have readily been embraced by the AAP without any high command interference. See an example in Kishore Mandhyan and this is only one example. (click on links)

Although political parties are required to submit details of
donors who have made donations above Rs20,000 to the Election
Commission, every year, they report that 75% of the donations are
unknown

While 75% of the sources of funding for political parties are unknown,
the latest study undertaken by Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR)
shows that within the 25% of known funding sources, a whopping 87% comes
from the corporates, mainly from trusts and groups of companies and the
manufacturing sector.

The analysis by ADR put up on its website on 8th January
shows that, out of Rs435.87 crore collected by national parties between
the financial years 2004-05 and 2011-12, Rs378.89 crore was donated by
corporates and business houses, thus constituting 87% of the total
contribution from known sources of political parties.
Since, except for the Indian National Congress and Communist Party of
India (Marxist), no other national party has submitted its donations
report for the financial year 2012-13, ADR’s report covers donations
received from national parties only between FY05 and FY12.

In ADR’s earlier report of 13 September 2013, based on innumerable
documents procured under Right to Information (RTI) from various
relevant government departments, it was found that 75% of the sources of
political parties is unknown. This, despite the fact,
that, political parties are required to submit details of donors who
have made donations above Rs20,000 in a financial year (between 1st April and 31st March)
to the Election Commission of India, every year. Parties are required
to provide details of the name, address, PAN, mode of payment and amount
contributed by each donor who has made donation above Rs20,000.
However, this is largely not adhered to.

The report shows that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received the maximum
donations of Rs192.47 crore from 1,334 corporate donors followed
by Congress which received Rs172.25 crore from 418 donors. The main
donors to the Congress are Aditya Birla Group which donated Rs36.41
crore, Torrent Power Ltd which donated Rs11.85 crore and Bharti Group’s
Bharti Electoral Trust which donated Rs11 crore. The BJP too received
generosity from the Aditya Birla Group which donated Rs26.57 crore and
Torrent Power Ltd which donated Rs13 crore. It also received Rs10 crore
from Asianet V Holding Pvt Ltd. Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress
Party (NCP) received Rs1 crore each from Ambuja Cement, Hindustan
Construction Co Ltd and Infina Finance Pvt Ltd.

The report states, “the maximum number of donations was made by
the manufacturing sector (595 donations, Rs99.71 crore) followed by 340
donations (Rs24.10 crore) from the real-estate sector. The least number
of donations was made by the hospitals (16 donations, Rs14 lakh)
followed by 45 donations each by the shipping and transport (Rs3.67
crore) and communication sectors (Rs13.26 crore) to the national
parties.”

The corporates’ inclination towards Narendra Modi-driven BJP is
reflected in the maximum number of donations to BJP. The report states:
“Out of the national parties, BJP received the maximum donations of
Rs192.47 crore from 1,334 donors from corporate/ business sector
followed by Congress receiving a total contribution of Rs172.25 crore
from 418 donors from corporate/ business sector.’’

Although foreign funding is banned for political parties, the report
states, “A total of Rs29.26 crores was accepted by Congress and BJP
together between 2003-04 and 2011-12. ADR has filed a petition in the
Delhi High Court to take action against the two largest national
parties, Congress and BJP.’’

A total of Rs105.86 crores was donated by six Electoral Trusts to the national parties.

The ADR recommends that, “the Supreme Court gave a judgment on 13
September 2013, declaring that no part of a candidate affidavit should
be left blank. Similarly, no part of the Form 24A submitted by political
parties providing details of donations above Rs20,000, should be blank;
all donors who have donated a minimum of Rs20,000 as a single or
multiple donations should provide their PAN details and; details of
donors who make donations to the Electoral Trusts should be available in
the public domain to increase transparency in funding of political
parties.’’

Until any stringent measures are taken by the government in
implementing the strict norms of political funding, unaccounted money
will continue to be the fuel of election campaigning.Number of donations made by corporate/ business sectors:
Maximum number of donations was made by the manufacturing sector
(595 donations, Rs99.71 crore) followed by 340 donations (Rs24.10 crore)
from real-estate sector
Least number of donations was made by the hospitals (16 donations,
Rs14 lakh) followed by 45 donations each by the shipping and transport
(Rs3.67 crore) and communication sectors (Rs13.26 crore) to the national
parties

Top corporate donors to national partiesCongress: General Electoral Trust of the Aditya Birla Group
donated the maximum amount (Rs36.41 crore) followed by Torrent Power Ltd
(Rs11.85 crore) and Bharti Electoral Trust of Bharti Group (Rs11 crore)

BJP: General Electoral Trust of the Aditya Birla Group
donated the maximum amount (Rs26.57 crore) followed by Torrent Power Ltd
(Rs13 crore) and Asianet V Holding Pvt Ltd (Rs10 crore)

CPI and CPM: CPI received a total of Rs11 lakh from 13
corporate donors while CPM received a total of Rs1.78 crore from 108
corporate/ business houses

Political parties which received maximum contributions from various sectors:
Congress received maximum contributions from trusts & group of
companies (Rs70.28 crore), while BJP received maximum donation from
manufacturing sector (Rs58.18 crore) and power and oil (Rs17.06 crore)

Maximum donations from mining, construction, export/ import sector
was received by Congress (Rs23.07 crore) while maximum donations from
the real estate sector was received by BJP (Rs17.01 crore)

Donors who have not declared PAN and address:
A total of 301 donors contributing Rs25.28 crore to the national
parties have not declared either their PAN details or address in the
contribution form

BJP has the listed the maximum number of donors (273) who have not
declared their PAN and address while contributing a maximum of Rs22.53
crore

Donors who have not declared their mode of payment:
Mode of payment of donations by 58 donors who have donated Rs1.02
crores to the national parties have not been declared by the national
parties

Recommendations of ADR
The Supreme Court gave a judgment on 13 September 2013, declaring
that no part of a candidate affidavit should be left blank. Similarly,
no part of the Form 24A submitted by political parties providing details
of donations above Rs20,000, should be blank

All donors who have donated a minimum of Rs20,000 as a single or multiple donations should provide their PAN details

Political parties are not permitted to accept contributions from
foreign companies or companies controlled in India by foreign companies
but a total of Rs 29.26 crores was accepted by Congress and BJP together
between FY 2003-04 and 2011-12. ADR has filed a petition in the Delhi
High Court to take action against the two largest national parties,
Congress and BJP

A total of Rs105.86 crore was donated by six Electoral Trusts to the
national parties. ADR recommends that the details of donors who make
donations to the Electoral Trusts should be available in the public
domain to increase transparency in funding of political parties.

Govt must withstand pressure from strong trader lobbies and establish a viable alternative supply chain for scheme to succeed

MUMBAI: Experts from the agriculture sector and stakeholders in the
state’s APMCs claimed that implementing the scheme for farmers to sell
directlytly to con-consumers would be a Herculeanculean task for the
state, becauseuse those with vested inter-rests could create hur-dles as
they had done in the past.
FILE PHOTO The fruit and vegetable market at APMC, Vashi.
The state had denotified 42 fruits and vegetables from the list of the
Agriculture Producee M a rke t C o m m i t t e e (APMC) Act in August
2013 to offer consumers respiteite from high prices, but the
decisionision was withdrawn after APMC stakeholders allegedly warned of
extreme consequences.
“There have been other instances in the past where the government succumbed to pressure. The lobbies of wholesalers, middlemen
and mathadis are strong enough to defuse the plan. The political
leadership needs strong will power to implement the decision. I do not
think the Congress-led government has it in them,” said agriculture
expert Girdhar Patil.

Fruit and vegetable wholesalers claimed there was no way to reduce
prices. “Does the government have a plan to replace the one in place?
Even if farmers decide to trade directly, what mechanism is available to
them?” said Balasaheb Bende, president of the Fruit Merchants’ Welfare
Association at the Vashi APMC.
Bende said the margin charged by various components, including wholesalers, middlemen
and retailers, was justified. “The wholesalers bear the loss of damaged
vegetables and fruits, give credit to retailers, share cordial
relations with and lend a helping hand to farmers. They will not part
with us just because they have another option,” he said, adding that by
allowing direct supply to retailers, the government was also defeating
the purpose of shifting markets from CST and Byculla to Vashi to
decongest the city.
Political observers claimed the implementation could see an
escalated tussle between the Congress and NCP. Most of the APMCs and the
mathadi workers’ unions are led by the NCP. Many said the delay in
issuing notifications in the matter was because of the opposition from
within political circles.
However, Sanjay Shetye, chairman, Sahakari Bhandar, said the
alternative chain and infrastructure would be established in time. “The
infrastructure will come up, responding to the demand by the market
forces. It will take time, but once in place, it will help reduce the
prices by at least 50%.”

Take away -

The article also shows how & why the govt may not be able to do so.

The AAP can definitely lead a
peoples movement & the pressure WILL FORCE GOVT TO DO THE NEEDFUL,
& THIS WILL BRING DOWN PRICES BY 40% as the newspaper report states.

40% - WOW --PHEW, a very hefty price differential.LOOK at the difference it will make to the prices.

Going
a step further if AAP gets agri scientists & innovators involved
they can work on decreasing agriculture input costs & bring down
prices.

Studies done by experts,
scientists & foreign govts in the past 30 years or so have shown how
agricultural input costs can be brought down.& storage wastage
stopped.

It is not easy to write a column with views that run against the wave, particularly against well-intentioned people you have yourself encouraged. I face this dilemma when I write about AAP and its need for a reality check. AAP is the flavour of the month. The media is going gaga over it, the poor see it as their messiah, and rich but bored executives are quitting their jobs to join the ‘movement’.

It deserves some of the hype. It is honest, humble and responsive. The party quickly adapts to public opinion, even if it means changing a previous stance. This responsiveness alone makes it stand out from existing political parties, led by dinosaurs that couldn’t move even if their tail was on fire.

If AAP plays its cards right, it can be a leading national party over the next decade. However, AAP needs to realize that the bigger concern is not AAP, but India. Sadly, some recent policies and decisions have been highly questionable in terms of national interest.

In a bid to come across as a hero to voters, AAP announced free water, and a bizarre subsidy-based cut in electricity tariffs in Delhi. Some estimates say this could cost thousands of crores a year. This money could have been used for hospitals, schools, flyovers, employment generation and a dozen other purposes. The poll promise was to reduce the alleged corruption in the electricity sector, and pass on the efficiency gains to the people. The cheeky accounting and subsidy-based reduction was irresponsible. If the AAP tariff decision is extended pan-India , the cost could be lakhs of crores a year. Such moves can not only wreck the country’s finances, they will send the wrong signal to private players who will shun investing in India’s electricity sector. It helped AAP win some instant applause, but did it help India?

Another example is AAP’s bid to have 90% reservation for Delhiites in Delhi colleges, many of which are national brands. Note the damage this creates at many levels. It prevents students across the country from joining the best colleges. It denies the colleges the best talent, and damages their brand. It creates pressure to move to Delhi, adding stress to urban infrastructure. It encourages parents to send kids abroad to study, costing us foreign exchange. Shouldn’t we discuss all this? Why don’t we have top Delhi colleges opening branches across the country, for instance?

Again, this move may have helped AAP, but did it help India?

You may be honest, but if you are ok with raiding the national treasury and hurting national brands to aid your party, are you completely pure?

There also seems to be a self-righteous attitude towards an ‘aam-aadmi’ lifestyle, and a disdain for affluence. While conspicuous consumption is wrong, I fail to see how aspiring to a good lifestyle, or living it with one’s hard-earned post-tax money is less virtuous? Millions of Indians have worked hard in the past decade and upgraded their lifestyle. That has increased our per-capita GDP. Should we discourage that? Do we want an honest, but poor India? Is AAP pro-poor, or pro-poverty?

Why is AAP getting it wrong already? One, an explicable hurry to compete in the LS elections. Two, a mindset that lacks vision on what India needs to be, apart from being corruption-free. I wouldn’t blame AAP for the latter. They were meant to be an anti-corruption movement. Now they aspire to be a national party. There is a substantial re-think and reinvention required before it goes ahead with its new goals. It needs to learn governance, and have clarity on how it can deliver not only a corruption-free India, but also a thriving economy with millions of opportunities for youngsters . All this needs time. However, the upcoming election and the overrated ‘momentum’ it seeks to capitalize on, is hampering this crucial process. In this hurry, AAP also risks attracting the wrong people who seek power over a better India. If AAP opted out of the LS 2014 race, only the truly dedicated would join. AAP’s entry in the LS race will increase the chances of a hung parliament and a khichdi government. For what it’s worth, a lot of foreign governments, investors and local entrepreneurs feel Modi can put India back on the path of growth. I am not sure they feel the same way with AAP. What is best for India then? Similarly, the Congress, with all its ills, has the most experience in governing India, while AAP has none. Does that experience amount to nothing? Should these factors not be considered in 2014 when we think of India? Or is it not about India anymore, but only about AAP?

Let us citizens also place India’s progress over any political party’s progress. The keys of the nation should be given to people who are not only honest, but can also take India to the next level.

Volunteer Online Form - click below

Aamir Khan - Election Commission National Icon

AAP is the first party that says 'give us your vote and you shall rule': Aamir Khan

Lok Sabha 2014

The fundamental reason to support the Aam Aadmi Initiative

You don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate! If you want our Country to achieve its potential, Vote for ‪#‎Clean‬ ‪#‎Governance‬!

Why AAP is a better choice

i am with MEERA are you ?

Meera Sanyal – AAP Candidate Mumbai South

A distinguished career in banking spanning over 30 years, Meera relinquished her position as CEO and Chairperson of Royal Bank of Scotland in 2013, to devote herself full-time to public service. During her time at the bank, Meera mentored the MicroFinance program, which financed over 650,000 women in rural India She also chaired the bank’s Foundation, providing livelihood assistance to 75,000 women-led households in threatened ecosystems.

The daughter of late Admiral Hiranandani, a highly decorated naval officer, Meera stood in 2009 as an independent candidate for the Lok Sabha elections in the aftermath of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. Meera and her husband Ashish, campaigned for and raised funds for the AAP in the 2013 Delhi elections. She was recently appointed to the party’s National Committee on Economic Policy.

Meera is a Board member of PRADAN, a member of the International Board of Right to Play, a global NGO that uses the transformative power of play to educate and empower children facing adversity. Meera is also a Board member of Liberals India for Good Governance – the Indian Liberal Group, and serves on the Supervisory Board of Jaihind College. She is a member of various National Committees of both FICCI and CII. In 2011, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, invited her as the sole Indian representative on her International Council on Women’s Business Leadership.

Meera

Arvind Kejriwal at CII

Why did Arvind Kejriwal resigned as the Delhi Chief Minister?

Well, here is the answer.

AAP got only 28 of 70 seats in the Delhi Assembly election. Still, the Lt Governor invited Arvind to form the government, as the Congress (with 8 seats) had offered unconditional support. Finding it hard to believe, Arvind sent a letter to the Congress President listing out the 18 points in the AAP manifesto, including passing of the Jan Lokpal bill. The Congress reverted saying it will support AAP unconditionally on all 18 points. With this commitment, Arvind formed the minority government in Delhi.

However, when AAP presented the Jan Lokpal bill in the Assembly, the Congress and the BJP came together to ensure the bill is not passed. The Aam Aadmi Party had won the vote and trust of citizens of Delhi on the plank of anti corruption. And since the minority government could not pass the Jan Lokpal bill that was promised to citizens of Delhi, Arvind resigned.

Disclaimer

This is not the official web location of the candidate in question, but one set up by pro-Bono volunteers. Nothing here constitutes any official communication whatsoever from the Aam Aadmi Party and/or affiliates. Copying, distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this web location is strictly at viewers/ your risk to costs and consequences. There is no guarantee to the accuracy of the information contained herein and viewers are advised to verify the same before taking any action relying on the same. The bloggers / volunteers assume no liability for any actions whatsoever taken by readers / viewers or any other person/s through them.